Mortal Impact — Review: A Hilarious Disaster with All the Delights of B-Movies

21 Ago Mortal Impact — Review: A Hilarious Disaster with All the Delights of B-Movies

Mortal Impact has all the hallmarks of a B-movie. While it is definitely not a good film, it ultimately becomes a cinematic experience that is surprisingly enjoyable on the big screen. The sense of community created by laughing at its ridiculous scenes makes it entertaining because of its flaws rather than in spite of them. This inevitably leaves you wondering whether it is all unintentional or whether it was actually planned by the production team.

In terms of the film itself, there is little to inspire much confidence. It has six writers, none of whose CVs include a film that has achieved any significant status. Director Renny Harlin has more impressive credits, having directed Die Hard 2 and A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, among others. However, he also has five Razzie nominations for Worst Director, including one for The Exorcist: The Beginning.

The story of Mortal Impact begins with a flight that is about to be hit by a series of unfortunate events. Due to a mistake by the typical unlikeable character who you will probably enjoy seeing die at the end, the aircraft’s cargo area catches fire. The captain’s incompetence, including his failure to follow the proper safety protocols, ultimately leads to an emergency landing in the sea that destroys the aircraft.

Before that happens, however, the ensemble cast is introduced, with each character having their own reasons for wanting to escape the dangerous situation. The main character is the plane’s co-pilot, whose tragic backstory includes a seriously ill son and a family he barely gets to see because of his demanding job.

The cinematic quality of Mortal Impact is obvious, but it is also particularly appealing to fans of this type of film. From the very beginning, it becomes clear that absurdity will dominate the entire movie. The way the accident starts, combined with the destruction of the aircraft and the interactions between the characters, immediately impresses with its spectacularly kitsch approach.

The laughs keep coming, especially when the laws of physics and basic logic are thrown out the window in favour of a scene designed to be epic or emotional. This feeling is even stronger when you watch it with other people, as the film practically invites you to turn to the person sitting next to you and exchange a confused look at whatever is happening on screen. That is precisely where the magic of Mortal Impact lies.

Mortal Impact is a quintessential B-movie experience. With an implausible story, low-quality visuals, cheesy dialogue, wooden performances and dangerous situations that are more comical than frightening, it creates a cinema experience that embraces its own unintentional comedy. In cases like this, the laughter often matters more than delivering a genuinely valuable cinematic experience.